My Kind Of Bravery
by PJayKeller
Summary: Ronon and Keller pre-ship, a mission goes wrong - i suck at summeries the story is good honest rated T for violence and language.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer;- Don't own anything, so please don't sue me.

Now

Doctor Jennifer Keller screamed. A long drawn out scream filled with pain. A scream she could not prevent, even though she knew that she had just signed her own death warrant. Her captors had explained quite clearly the penalty for making a sound while being lashed.

The scream was viewed very differently by 3 distinct groups of people. Her captors laughed and cheered and the children, clustered around her in the compound, cried. But for the group of men and women hiding at the edge of the forest, the scream was a signal to take action.

As Jennifer gratefully sank towards unconsciousness, the same thoughts kept swirling around in her brain. Would Col. Sheppard and his team find her before it was too late? Had the injured Marines been rescued? Why did she always expect the 'easy' missions to actually be easy? And most importantly, at least to her at that precise moment, Why the hell couldn't she have told Ronon how she felt about him while she'd still had the chance?


	2. Chapter 1

09:00 Hours

Colonel Samantha Carter and Teyla wandered through the corridors of Atlantis heading for the infirmary, stopping every now and then to have a word with one of the many people occupying the Atlantis base. Teyla's pregnancy had severely curtailed her normal activities and she now spent a considerable amount of time prowling the lesser used parts of the city.

"Do you really think that this is a good idea?" Teyla asked Sam.

"It should be straightforward. All we have to do is get Dr Keller to go the planet and collect some samples. It's so easy. How much trouble could she possibly get into?" Carter replied, with a grin.

"Exactly" said Teyla rolling her eyes.

After several minutes walking, they arrived at the infirmary doors. Dr Keller was, as usual, busy keeping an eye on the Marines who had been in Ronon's latest training session.

"Colonel, Teyla" she called, on seeing them enter her workplace.

"Dr Keller. How's it going with the new recruits? Any major injuries or just the usual?" asked Sam.

"Well, we have one dislocated shoulder, a sprained ankle, broken wrist and of course cuts and bruises. At some point, one of these Marines is actually going to get the bright idea that if he and some of his buddies team up, they might actually beat Ronon and come out of the session in one piece" Jennifer answered.

"Now don't go and give them any ideas. It would take all the fun out of watching" laughed Sam.

Jennifer and Teyla joined in the laughter as did some of the Marines and nurses who were in earshot.

"Shall we go into my office to continue this. That way, this nosy lot won't learn any of our secret plans to cause them extra pain".

More laughter followed them as they made their way to Jennifer's overcrowded office. Eventually the three women managed to clear enough space to sit down. One of the older nurses on duty that day brought them cups of actual decent coffee remarking that Jennifer would probably need it after Colonel Carter had finished.

"So what brings the two of you to the infirmary? Teyla, I haven't seen you in a few days, are things okay? Has the morning sickness stopped or do I need to prescribe some more tablets?" Jen asked rapidly.

She knew that she was babbling, but Jen had a nasty feeling that she was about to be asked to do something that she wasn't going to be comfortable with. She was pretty sure that it involved going through the Stargate, definitely not her favourite pastime.

Teyla answered her calmly "I have been busy trying to co-ordinate the search for my people, but I am feeling well, thank you. I have had no more sickness for which I am truly grateful. I am however experiencing desires for several strange food combinations – cravings, I am informed that they are called. Rodney spent nearly a full hour yesterday telling me of the odd things that his sister wanted when she was pregnant. After hearing some of those I decided that maybe mine were not so strange after all."

Sam interrupted knowing that Jennifer was doing all she could to delay finding out the real reason for the visit.

"Dr Keller... Jennifer...I would like you to go on an away mission to the planet Tallon. Major Lorne's team visited it a few weeks ago and Teyla and I have been going over the footage from the MALP again," said Sam.

Teyla continued "Not far from the gate are several large shrubs which I believe to be Jarra. If that is the case, these plants are very important. The leaves can be used to make a herbal tea which is a cure for many childhood illnesses in this galaxy. If..no...when I find my people again, we will have need of these kinds of treatments. Many of the younger children are still frightened of the infirmary, in spite of your lollipops."

"Okay, I get that these plants are important but surely it would be better to send a team from the Botany department. They're used to dealing with new plants and..."

"No Doctor" said Sam cutting Jennifer off, " I want you to go. I have to be completely honest with you – I'm a little concerned about your lack of off world experience. There will be times when a doctor is required to accompany a team and at times that doctor is going to have to be you. Your knowledge will be invaluable but first you will need to conquer your fear of gate travel. This is going to be an easy mission. The planet, as far as we can tell, is uninhabited though I'll 

send a couple of Marines with you, just in case. In the unlikely event of a problem, Colonel Sheppards team should be back in 2 or 3 hours, they can always come and 'rescue' you".

"Ha ha, very funny" said Jennifer although she wasn't really laughing. Unfortunately Col Carter was right, she was terrified of going through the Gate.

"I am sure that Ronon would be quite happy to 'rescue' you" Teyla remarked slyly.

Blushing brightly Jennifer shook her head. "Stop that right now, Teyla. You, of all people, know nothing's happened between us. I thought, after the fake quarantine incident, that maybe the feelings weren't just one-sided but now...it's almost as if he's forgotten I even exist".

"But you do want something to happen, do you not" persisted Teyla.

"Well yeah, of course I do. I mean let's face it, he's... hot".

"Ok" said Sam, wondering exactly what else she didn't know about the personnel in her command ( because this attraction was definitely news to her ). "Let's get this mission over with , then we'll make a concerted effort to sort out your love life. Teyla can review the MALP tapes with you in a few minutes, then you can get your gear together. I would like you to be ready to go in 2 hours. Any preferences as to who you want with you?"

"Well, seeing as how I haven't got Ronon, I'll take whoever is next in line for a trip" Jen replied.

"Good" said Sam, as she and Teyla both stood up. "Let's get this show on the road".

As Jen followed the pair out of the infirmary, she couldn't help thinking that, with her luck, something was bound to go horribly wrong.


	3. Chapter 2

11:00 Hours

Jennifer, Sam and Teyla stood at the bottom of the stairs in Atlantis' Gateroom talking quietly, while they waited for the 2 Marines to arrive. Jen was nervous, she had packed and re-packed her equipment several times in the last hour leaving some items out, only to replace them 5 minutes later. Her mind kept running through all the things that could go wrong and, not for the first time, she wondered if Atlantis was where she really belonged.

"Jennifer, do you really need to take that huge backpack with you? You're only going to be there for an hour or two max" asked Sam, looking at the amount of stuff the doctor had, in amazement.

"Look" replied Jennifer "with my luck I'll probably trip over a pebble and break an ankle, or drop down a hole, or be attacked by killer rodents, or I'll be allergic to this VIP plant or..."

"Okay, enough already" laughed Sam, stopping the Doctor's list of possible problems, "We get the picture".

"I just want to be prepared for anything. You said that Lorne's team went there a few weeks ago, things could have changed dramatically since then. I know that the MALP is still sending back favourable images but those could be faked somehow. With Michael on the loose, doing God knows what, I think it's better to be safe than sorry, don't you?" Jen said soberly.

As usual, when Michael's name was mentioned, all laughter ceased abruptly. The part Wraith was most definitely a major menace and Sam and Teyla both conceded that Jen could very well have a point. Of course the idea of faked images from the MALP was something that Sam knew about firsthand.

Just then the 2 Marines, Vaughan and Peterson arrived to join the ladies. Jennifer knew both of them slightly, having had to patch them up after Ronon's 'training'. They were fairly new to Atlantis but they had been off world several times and Vaughan had had experience with the Stargate programme on Earth. She felt considerably better as she saw that they were both well armed. 'At least they should be able to keep me safe from killer rodents' she thought wryly.

Sam spoke briefly and quietly to the men, giving them further instructions, Jennifer assumed, as she and Teyla went over her part in the mission again.

"Ready to go Doc?" asked Peterson. "The sooner we go, the sooner we're back and I have a date this evening. She'll kill me if I'm late".

"Lucky you" sighed Jennifer, thinking about Ronon...again. "Okay lets move. Just try and keep me in one piece. I know you haven't been here that long but you must have heard by now that I don't have much luck off world".

As the wormhole activated Vaughan replied "No worries, Doc. I think we all know what'll happen to us if we let anything, and I do mean anything, bad happen to you".

With that, Vaughan and Peterson stepped through the Gate. Jennifer took one last look at the Colonel and Teyla, then followed them, curious as to the meaning of Vaughan's last statement.

She emerged from the wormhole to be confronted by a truly beautiful view. If you ignored the fact that the sky and clouds both had a pink tinge to them, Jennifer thought she could almost be home. But something was missing. It took her a moment to realise that it was silent – no birdsong, not even a breath of wind. It was eerie and as she watched her escorts scanning the immediate area, she shivered. Best to get this mission over and done with, then get back to the relative safety of Atlantis. First though, her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her, so she headed off to have a word with Vaughan.

"Mike" she asked carefully, "Could you please explain that statement you made before we left Atlantis".

"Oh crap. I was really hoping you weren't going to ask about that. If Col. Sheppard finds out, I'll probably be on the Daedalus heading home before you can blink".

"Please" wheedled Jen " I promise I won't say a word to anyone".

"There's a standing order from Col. Sheppard that we have to take extra special care of you, especially away from the base".

"Why?" she asked, totally perplexed.

"Nothing has been said, honestly. It's not like it's the main topic of conversation among the men, you've got to understand that. We would never make you the subject of gossip, we've all got too much respect for you. Plus, of course, you've got all the really big needles in the Infirmary. Nobody likes them and..." Vaughan spoke so rapidly his words were starting to slur together.

Jennifer was getting more and more annoyed with the man and cut him off before he could go any further. By this time, they had been joined by Peterson, and she hoped that he would be able to give her a clear and concise answer.

"Ok Doc", he started "Unofficially the word is that you are totally off limits".

With that, the normally (fairly) calm Doctor Jennifer Keller exploded. "Excuse me! I'm what?" she yelled at the 2 hapless Marines. "No wonder I can't get a date. When I get back to Atlantis, somebody is going to pay for this". She walked round and round trying to calm down, but failed miserably.

"Come on Doctor Keller" whined Vaughan, "you promised. Look, obviously he's never got around to asking you out, but you must have noticed that he's always watching you and that he usually accompanies us to the Infirmary after training. I mean, it's clear to all of us that he's interested in you. Maybe he just doesn't know how to react to you in that way, he was on his own for a long time, you know".

Jennifer couldn't bring herself to look at the men, she was so embarrassed. Hating the idea that she was being talked about, by people she hardly knew, she tried again to calm down.

Thinking furiously and feeling her face begin to heat, she asked, "Are we talking about Ronon here?"

"Of course we're talking about Ronon" Peterson replied "who else would have us all quaking in our boots like frightened little ninny's – certainly not Dr McKay".

Jen buried her head in her hands and sat down hard on the warm grass. She fought to control her breathing and get her heart rate back to normal as she digested this new revelation. Ronon liked her back – that was good. The problem was, what was she going to do about it. 'No scratch that' she thought, 'I know what, it's the how I'm not sure on'.

As a parting shot, Peterson said "I guess you really are off limits then Doc, seeing as it looks as though the feelings are mutual".

After several long minutes Jen came to the conclusion that there was nothing she could do while she was still on the planet, so she might as well get on and collect Teyla's plant samples. She gathered her equipment and headed over to the shrubs. Working quietly for about an hour, she collected samples from the shrubs as well as some of the other plants 

in the area, just in case they were useful too. Putting away all her gear, she glanced up just as the first chevron on the Gate lit up.

"Doctor Keller, get under cover. We've got Gate activity and it's not from Atlantis. Stay hidden until we know if our 'guests' are friendly or not" shouted Vaughan, as both men's weapons pointed in that direction.

Almost as he finished speaking, a small ship came flying through the Gate, it's machine gun-like weapons blazing and Jen knew that her jinx had struck again.


	4. Chapter 3

Meanwhile, back on Atlantis, Col. Carter was grilling Teyla . It had started, quietly, as soon as the wormhole had disengaged after Jen's departure and was now continuing in Sam's office, in private.

"Now let me get this straight. My quiet, shy CMO is involved with our Satedan bad boy and I don't know anything about it. Just because I'm technically in charge of this base – technically, because the IOA have the real power, of course – doesn't mean that I should be kept out of the gossip loop, you know. When did all this happen anyway?"

Teyla made herself comfortable and took a sip of her tea as she thought about her reply.

"As you are aware" she began, "Doctor Keller and Ronon were trapped together during the quarantine. I think at that time, Jennifer realised her attraction to him but did not act upon it. You are correct in that she is quiet and shy, especially around men. She may talk about, and probably does dream about, having a sexual relationship with Ronon, but I am sure that she will never initiate anything. She confided in me, the following day, that her experience in these matters is extremely limited. Her attraction is not common knowledge and I believe it would be best to keep it that way. I feel that it is permissible to discuss this with you, only because Jen spoke of it earlier in your presence."

"I understand perfectly. I would never expect you to betray a confidence, Teyla".

"Of course" Teyla continued, "Ronon's attraction, or maybe the right word is fascination, with the Doctor began months ago – probably the first time he saw her. And that is common knowledge, at least among the Marines. He has said nothing to me on the subject but I fear that he too may have a problem".

Sam listened intently to Teyla's explanation before saying "I can't even begin to imagine what sort of problem Ronon could have. He's always struck me as the type to take what he wants, when he wants regardless of any consequences".

"In the normal course of things I would agree with you. However, Ronon is rather...large, Jennifer is small in stature. He is rough and she is gentle. It may be that he fears hurting her, or even that she may reject him because of his very nature. Sorting out Jennifer's 'love life' – as you call it – may not be as easy as you imagine", replied Teyla.

"You may be right. In the meantime, while we wait for Jennifer's return, we should continue going through the reports to look for any clues as to the whereabouts of your people".

Teyla agreed and the 2 women got back to work, quickly becoming absorbed in the task. After about 45 minutes Teyla stood and stretched.

"I am not used to all this sitting down" she complained. "It will be pleasant to resume normal duties once my child is born. Now though, my stomach is saying it is time for food".

"Good idea" laughed Sam, just as Chuck knocked on her door.

"I just thought you'd like to know that we've had the first scheduled transmission from Tallon. Peterson reports that everything seems quiet. Doctor Keller has been taking samples of other vegetation as well and that they'll probably be done in about another hour or so. I've scheduled the next transmission for 14:00 hours".

"Thanks Chuck, that's fine. Teyla and I are going to the Mess Hall to grab a bite to eat. Any problems..."

"I know", said Chuck, "You'll be the second to know, after me".

Little did they know how bad the situation on the planet Tallon had just become.

The ships weapons raked the ground in front of the Gate sending up clouds of dust. Peterson and Vaughan both aimed their P90's at the craft but they were no match for it's superior firepower. Vaughan was the first to go down, blood staining the front of his shirt. From her hiding place in a shallow depression next to the shrubs, Jennifer could not tell if he was dead or not. She had managed to drag vegetation over herself and was pretty sure that she could not be seen from the air. Peterson tried to get to the Gate, Jen assumed to try to get a message to Atlantis, and was hit from behind.

With both her escorts down, Jennifer started to panic. Taking deep breaths to calm down, she weighed her options. Her best bet, once the ship had left the area, was to get to the Gate, dial Atlantis and call for reinforcements. But first she had to check on Vaughan and Peterson and the longer she was prevented from doing so, the less their chances of survival.

Jennifer watched in horror as the ship came down to land. With her hands clamped firmly over her mouth to keep from crying out, she saw a rough looking man emerge. He didn't look like a Bola Kai or any other race that she had encountered so far. The man went straight to the dialling device and did something that Jen couldn't see. She was afraid though, that she knew exactly what he was doing – disabling the Gate. Passing the MALP he gave it a cursory glance and then drew a hand weapon and blasted it. He did not bother to check the condition of the men before he got back into the ship and took off, flying south.

When she was sure that it had gone, she ran over to Vaughan and dropped to her knees beside him. His wide staring eyes and the volume of blood around his body told her all she needed to know, but she tried to find a pulse anyway – tried and failed. Gently she closed his eyes and moved towards Peterson. Here she was more successful finding a weak but steady pulse.

Peterson was lying on his front and as Jen carefully started to feel over his back for wounds, he whispered "Doc. Get out of here, go back to Atlantis and get help".

Leaving him for a moment she went to the dialling device and tried to enter the symbols, but as she had feared, nothing happened.

Almost in tears, Jen went back to Peterson. "The Gate won't work, Vaughan is dead and you have a bullet in your right shoulder and what looks like 2 or possibly 3 in your lower back. If I move you, you could be paralyzed. If I don't and they come back while I'm working on you, we're both dead. Neither option is good – I am so out of my depth here. I don't know what to do".

"Okay" whispered Peterson again, slowly "The Gate is inactive. What about the MALP?"

"Destroyed" said Jen quickly.

"When we don't make our next transmission, Atlantis will try to contact us. When that fails, standard procedure is to send a team through to investigate. Have you got something in that pack to knock me out?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" she replied.

"I need you to sedate me, drag me under cover, do whatever you can for me and then sit tight and wait for help to arrive, you got all that, Doc" Peterson said ,as clearly as possible.

Jennifer didn't waste time questioning his instructions and soon he was in her former hiding place. Praying that she hadn't made matters worse for him, she removed his jacket and cut open his shirt to remove the bullet lodged in his shoulder. The bullets in his back she left alone, figuring it would be much safer to remove them in Atlantis.

Finishing her work, she sat down next to him, fished out an energy bar and canteen of water from the pack. She took a long drink, then decided to write up some notes about the situation for when help arrived in case she and Peterson got separated before then. In the back of her mind was the fear that the ship would return and capture her, leaving the Marine to die alone. When she'd finished she tucked the notes in his trouser pocket, closed her eyes and waited for rescue.


	5. Chapter 4

Jen jerked awake and looked at her watch. She couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep like that, she supposed it must be due to mental, rather than physical, exhaustion. Fortunately, Peterson was still out cold and she checked him quickly. At least he didn't appear to be any worse which was a blessing.

It was only 13:15 hours, still almost an hour to go before Atlantis even tried to contact them. She wished the check in had been for 1 hour instead of 2, but hopefully rescue would occur before the enemy ship came back.

She really should have known better – her luck was still bad. Because of the complete lack of any kind of noise on the planet, she heard it coming way before she could see it. However it sounded strange, as if something was wrong with it. Scanning the horizon, Jen finally spotted it just as it appeared to come to an abrupt halt and drop out of the sky like a stone.

"Good" Jen thought to herself, "I hope the bastard's dead".

Jennifer Keller was not normally a vengeful person, but as she looked over at Vaughan's body, which she had covered with a space blanket from her pack, and Peterson lying unconscious beside her, she thought she would make an exception in this case.

She sat still, waiting and praying. Then she heard sounds, rustling in the shrubs by her, getting closer and closer. Jen was scared, no, more than scared, she was terrified. Lying down Jen held her breath as she waited to see what would happen next.

What did happen, took her completely by surprise. Two young children pushed through the undergrowth and came to a stop in front of her, looking as scared as Jennifer, who immediately sat up. The smallest, a girl Jen guessed, though it was hard to tell considering the condition of the clothes she was wearing, gave a tiny shriek.

Jen grabbed them both, and pulled them down with her. The boy tried to get away but Jen held on to his wrist tightly.

"Please stop that" she hissed "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a Doctor, a healer. My name is Jennifer or Jen, if that is easier for you. I need to know if you're on your own, if the men from that ship are alive and who you are. I know that you are scared, I certainly am, but I swear you are safe with me".

The children looked at each other, then the girl whispered something to the boy, who nodded his head and grasped her hand.

"Kazy thinks that we should believe you and she is usually right. She has a gift for sensing when people are lying to her. My name is Penta and we're running from the slavers. Kazy is my sister – she doesn't talk much".

'This is so not good' thought Jen, as Penta finally relaxed a bit.

"We were on the ship and we got free from the guard. I just started pulling levers and then the next thing we know, the ship crashed. There were 3 men on board and when we ran they weren't moving".

"Okay" said Jen "So they may be dead but with my luck I'm not counting on it. Which means what, will they come after you?"

"Yes I'm sure they will. They had buyers for us. We're Satedan – that means we'll be strong when we grow up, if we live long enough".

On hearing that Jen's head shot up. Satedan – like Ronon. She smiled as she thought of him being followed by these 2 little souls, through the corridors of Atlantis. At that moment she vowed that Kazy and Penta would get that chance whatever the cost to herself. She had been gently checking Kazy for injuries. So far she had only found cuts and bruises but both children were obviously malnourished, cold and very tired.

"Right let's think this through logically. They are going to be coming after you very soon if they survived. I don't intend to let them get you. Would they take me or are they only interested in children?" Jen asked as Kazy shyly slipped her tiny hand into Jen's.

"They keep us in a compound" answered Penta as he held his sister's other hand and played with her hair. "There are lots of children but I have never seen any adults apart from those that guard us. If you are a healer they may take you, even if it just for looking after their 'property'. They love to punish us for no reason, they have whips".

As he finished speaking Penta's eyes filled with tears.

"Have they whipped you?" Jen asked, her voice by no means steady.

"No but friends have been. Many die from their wounds".

"I want you two to stay here with this man. He is badly hurt and I don't want him to move. You must keep him still when he wakes up, can you do that for me?" Jen said quietly to Kazy.

"Yes I can do that" was the whispered reply.

"I am going to try and draw those men away from here. I promise I won't let them take you again. Do you know what the Stargate is?"

Penta shook his head, so Jen continued "How about the Ring of the Ancestors. That seems to be the local name for it". The boy nodded. "Good, then you know what happens when it opens. You can't dial out because the men have disabled it somehow, but soon, or at least I hope it will be soon, my friends are going to try and contact me through the Ring. When they find out that they can't, I think they will send a machine through, just like the one over there" Jen said, pointing to the destroyed MALP.

Jen tried hard to explain to the children in easy language what the MALP would do. She just hoped that Penta had a good enough memory for what she required.

After giving Penta instructions on what to do, she said "Once my friends understand the situation, they will come through and take care of everything.

"Who are your friends" whispered Kazy.

"They are soldiers" said Jen carefully "men with guns, which I know will be frightening for you, but I promise they will look after you. If we're very lucky, one of the men will be a Satedan, like you, named Ronon. He lives in our city now and helps us fight the Wraith".

Jen grabbed her pack and pulled out a couple of energy bars, two small bottles of fruit juice and a handful of lollipops, left over from her last trip to New Athos, which she gave to the children. Then she spent another 5 minutes going over her message with Penta one last time, making sure that he understood what she wanted him to say.

"How far away is the ship?" asked Jen looking at her watch. It was 13:40 hours.

Just as Penta was about to reply, Jen heard the dreaded sound of the ship. 'So at least one of the slavers must have survived and the ship can obviously still fly", she thought.

"Damn, damn and double damn" she swore. Turning to the children she said, "It's time for me to go. Stay down under cover and wait. You'll be okay when Ronon gets here".

With that, she shouldered her pack and headed out of the shrubs running away from the Gate. She really didn't have any set plan in mind when she set off – she just knew that she had to protect the children and the injured Marine. As fighting was definitely not an option, all she could hope for was to distract the slavers until help arrived. She just hoped that the price would not be too high.


	6. Chapter 5

Jen ran, not too fast, never once looking back towards the Gate, the children and Peterson. Her pack was bulky but not heavy and she didn't want to ditch it, knowing that if the slavers actually did take her, instead of just killing her, she would need it.

As she ran her thoughts turned to Ronon as they often did. Was this what it had been like for him as a Runner, wondering if this day was going to be his last. God, she really wished that he'd kissed her back there in the infirmary. Now she might never have that opportunity, never find out how his lips would feel against her skin or whether his hands would cover her breasts easily...

'Damn' she thought with a wry smile 'now even thinking about him is making me blush. I've got to stop this, he's never going to be interested in me in that way. I don't care what Vaughan and Peterson said, they must have been wrong. A nearly kiss doesn't mean a thing, we've absolutely nothing in common. Face it Keller, if you don't stop this, you're going to go totally nuts'.

Stopping suddenly, she rested her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths. Looking up, she saw the ship change course – it had finally spotted her. Setting off again Jen increased her pace, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she was still being followed. The craft shot forward so that it was now in front of her. Jen changed direction hoping to prolong the chase, figuring that the more time she could give Atlantis, the better.

The ship dropped out of sight and Jen presumed that it was landing. Her fear, which had temporarily receded, returned with a vengeance and now she just ran blindly. Behind her she could here shouting which gradually got louder and, as she turned back to see if she could see her pursuers, she missed the tree root across the path. Crashing to the ground, winded, she lay there awaiting her fate.

Two men piled out of the bushes, cursing and swearing, and one of them hauled her roughly to her feet.

"Let's see what we've got here" he leered at her. "Great, a woman, a fucking woman. They're more trouble than they're worth. We've lost the brats and got her in exchange, the boss is going to be furious. Kill her so we can get on and find those two".

"Wait" panted Jennifer, desperately trying to catch her breath, "I could be useful to you, I'm a healer. Surely that makes me valuable".

"She has a point. The boss is always moaning about how many of the kids die, maybe having a healer would keep more of them in a saleable condition", the other said. "We could take her back to camp and come back for the brats later. It's not as though they can get off the planet anyway".

"Okay, we'll play it your way, this time" said the first, as he dragged her towards the ship.

Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief – at least she was still alive. Taking a quick peek at her watch she saw that it was almost 14:00. Then everything went black as a hood was roughly placed over her head and she was shoved into a seat on the ship, which immediately took off. Briefly she wondered what had happened to the third man of the group – she really hoped he was dead.

At 14:05, on Atlantis, Chuck knocked on Col. Samantha Carter's office door. Sam and Teyla had returned from a leisurely lunch, a rare luxury, and got straight back to checking the reports.

"Doctor Keller's group have missed the check in" he reported with a worried look.

Sam checked the time. "Give them a few more minutes, then we'll open the Gate and see what's happening. They could just be pre-occupied with some new discovery" she said slowly.

"Yes Ma'am" he said, adding "I don't believe that either".

The hands of Sam's office clock moved so slowly but eventually they reached the quarter hour and Sam stood.

"Teyla, you wait here, you really don't need any added stress. I'll be back shortly".

Teyla nodded as Sam left the room to join Chuck and the other techs. She hoped that all was well, though in her heart she knew there was some kind of problem.

"Okay, dial Tallon. Let's find them" said Sam. As the wormhole engaged, she continued speaking, "Vaughan, Peterson do you read me? " Silence was her only reply. "Dr Keller, come in please". Again she heard nothing, "Is the signal even getting through?" she asked.

"Doesn't look like it, Col. And we've got no visual from the MALP. Two possibilities spring to mind – it's either run out of juice for some reason or it's been destroyed", answered Chuck.

"Right. I can't risk sending anyone else through the Gate until we know what the situation is. How long to prepare another MALP?"

"It could be up to an hour. I believe all of the ones we have left are being modified with that gizmo of Dr McKay's. I'll get Zelenka to do a rush job on the one that's closest to completion" Chuck replied.

"Good. Shut the Gate down. Col. Sheppards team should be checking in within the hour, tell them to get back here ASAP. I'll brief Major Lorne" called Sam, as she headed back to her office and Teyla.

"What has happened Colonel", asked Teyla, as she saw the look on Sam's face.

"We can't contact Keller or the Marines and the MALP is out of action. Obviously we have a problem. Ronon is going to kill me when he finds out", was Sam's reply.

"If anyone on the planet has hurt Jennifer, it is more likely that he will kill them instead" Teyla said calmly.

"I think if Doctor Keller has been hurt, he won't be the only one who feels that way. The men seem to be quite comfortable with her as Chief of Medicine. I wasn't too sure that would be the case when I first arrived, she seemed so young".

Sam left to personally speak to Lorne, as Teyla went to make sure that Radek Zelenka understood the gravity of the situation, while they waited for the return of Atlantis' premier team.

Meanwhile on Tallon, Jennifer's short journey was nearing its end. She felt the craft descend, then land and again she was roughly grabbed and pulled outside. As the hood was removed she blinked rapidly several times to clear her vision – and promptly wished that she hadn't.

Jennifer Keller had seen some horrific sights in her short time as a doctor, but nothing could prepare her for what she saw now. The expression 'Hell on Earth' perfectly described the scene before her. Two long, semi derelict huts stood inside a wire mesh compound and everywhere she looked she could see children. Children sitting or lying in groups, 

others stumbling around, many holding themselves as if in great pain, all of them dressed in rags and with hopeless blank expressions on their small faces. She fought back the tears as she watched and waited.

From another hut, outside the compound, a tall thin man emerged and stalked over to where Jen was being held. Instinctively she knew that she should keep her mouth shut. He looked at her with cruel eyes, and without warning he slapped her hard across the face twice.

"Why the fuck did you bring this bitch here?" he screamed at the men.

"She says she's a healer. Thought she could look after the kids, keep them healthy" answered one of them.

"Fine, put her in with them. We'll see how long she lasts – she probably won't survive the night. Then you 2 fuckers can get back out there and find those Satedan brats before I kill you".

With that Jennifer was flung into the compound, landing on her knees amidst the frightened children, closely followed by her pack which the second man had been checking.

'Oh God' she thought 'I hope Ronon and the others get here soon', as she got to her feet and started to move among her new charges.


	7. Chapter 6

Atlantis was a hive of activity. Sheppard's team had returned and Ronon was trying hard to keep his temper under control. He had, of course, wanted to go straight off to find Jen but somehow Sheppard and Teyla had managed to convince him to wait. Carter was still in one piece although she would have to get her hearing checked – Ronon's yells were heard on the far side of the city.

"You really should tell her, you know" Sheppard told him.

"Can't. Why would she want a barbarian like me anyway" was the reply as Ronon wandered off to speak with Lorne.

John sighed as he was joined by Teyla and McKay. "Ok this is getting old. Once this crisis is over, we are going to have a strategy meeting about those two. I just don't understand the problem".

"That is because you are a man" said Teyla with the smallest hint of a smile.

Before John could make a retort, they were joined by Radek and Sam, who added "Count us in as well. Right, let's get moving. Chuck, dial the Gate and send through the MALP. It's time to find out what's going on".

Ronon and Lorne joined the group crowded around the monitor waiting for the images to be beamed back. As the camera panned round, they could see the other MALP, obviously destroyed and something which could only be a body covered by a foil blanket.

There was complete silence, apart from the hum of machinery, for several seconds then Ronon growled "We've seen enough. Let's go. Whoever's done this could have had her for hours by now".

"Take it easy, big guy. We'll go in a minute". Sheppard held him back with some difficulty.

"Hang on" piped up McKay, "Look over there in those bushes...something's moving".

On the other side of the Gate Kazy whispered to her brother. "It is as she said. The machine has come. You must go and tell them what she said".

"Yeah, I know. Stay here with him in case it's a trap".

Penta walked slowly towards the MALP with his hands on his head, trying hard not to shake. He knelt in front of it as Jen had told him to and took a deep breath. He had been repeating Jen's words over and over to himself since she had left and he was confident that he would get it right.

"My name is Penta" he began slowly, feeling strange talking to this odd machine, "can you hear me?"

Col. Carter looked at the others and shrugged. "Yes, we can hear you. My name is Col. Samantha Carter".

"Good. Jennifer's message is for you. She left us here to distract the slavers who were chasing me and my sister. They have a ship which was coming this way but it landed and when it took off again, it went back the other way. We do not know if she is still alive. The soldier who is with us has not woken up since she left – he has bullets in his back. Jennifer wrote notes about what happened before we found her. We are scared that the ship will come back for us. The most important part of the message is that you know the Stargate has been disabled by the slavers. We cannot dial out. She promised that you'd take care of us".

Penta took several breaths and waited.

"This could be a lie, a trick", a gruff male voice said.

Penta stood and when he spoke, they could all hear the anger in his voice.

"I am Satedan. I do not lie".

"Thought that was Vulcans" murmured McKay, looking at Sheppard who smirked.

On Atlantis, Ronon was in shock. He peered at the monitor to try and see if Penta's claim was true. 'Satedan children' he thought, 'how was it possible that they had survived the attack on Sateda'. He soon realised that the child had probably never even seen Sateda – he wasn't old enough.

Sam looked at him. "What do you think? Is it likely to be genuine?"

"I can't tell for sure if they are Satedan but they could well be. When we get Keller back, she will be able to test them to confirm it one way or the other. The message was too detailed for it not to be from her", he replied.

"Okay. Col. Sheppard, move your teams out. Take 2 Jumpers to go after the Doctor, I don't like the sound of slavers. You'll need a trauma team for the injured Marine and they better have an armed escort of at least six. When you get there, it's your call how you handle things – I'll back whatever decisions you make".

"I'd rather we took 3 Jumpers, that way we can leave one to guard the Gate. It'll also mean we can take more men with us".

"Finally" said Ronon, already heading towards the Jumper bay.

"Hold on a minute" shouted McKay "what about the small matter of a disabled Gate!"

"That's what you're for, Rodney" smirked Sheppard. "Make sure you take plenty of spare crystals – that's what it usually is".

Rodney rolled his eyes, muttering to himself but still followed the others as they went to gather their equipment. He was rather fond of Doctor Keller, not of course in the same way as Ronon, but still...

Sam turned back to the monitor and spoke again to Penta. "Our people are on their way. We also have ships that can come through the Gate. Will you go back to your sister and wait for them, please".

Penta nodded and ran back to the safety of the shrubs.

The Gate stayed open and a few minutes later, 3 boxy craft flew through the Gate and landed. Rear doors opened and people started emerging. Sheppard contacted Atlantis, reporting that they were safe and the Gate shut off. The soldiers started to fan out as Rodney headed straight for the dialling device. Sheppard and Lorne moved towards the body as Ronon scouted the immediate area. After checking the Marine's identity and calling for a stretcher, Sheppard headed for the shrubs and the children.

Penta grabbed Kazy's hand and held on to her tightly, as together they walked out to meet him.

"Hi kids" he said, crouching down to their level. "I'm Sheppard. I need you to tell me everything you can about these slavers and where their camp is. First though, I bet you're hungry. How about we go over there to my ship and get some food. We'll have a Doctor check you out, make sure you're not hurt or anything. That ok with you guys?"

The children nodded as Sheppard rose but then Kazy squeaked and hid behind her brother. Sheppard turned to see what had spooked her, just as Ronon joined him. The two little children looked up and up and up.

"You must be Ronon" spluttered Penta, clearly scared. "She said you would come for us".

"Come" was all he said as he held out a hand towards them. Still holding tightly to Penta, Kazy put her tiny hand in his huge one and together they walked to Jumper 1 and a waiting medical team.

Rodney, having finished with the dialling device, jogged over to Sheppard. "Now that is just plain freaky" he said pointing to Ronon and the kids. "Anyway you were right about the crystals – I've replaced them and we should be good to go".

"I'm going to see if Peterson is awake yet. We'll get him back to Atlantis as soon as Doc Jenkins says it's okay".

Sheppard waved over the Doc, a middle aged man who was slightly resentful of having to take his orders from the much younger Jennifer. John didn't want him involved with the search for the missing woman in case he said anything wrong in Ronon's hearing, so he had always planned for Jenkins to return to Atlantis with the injured Marine.

Finally everything was set, and a small procession filed through the now active Gate. Peterson, still unconscious, and the body of Vaughan, on stretchers carried by a mixture of Marines and medical staff, followed by Jenkins and a nurse who was gently holding the, now sleeping, Kazy. John had wanted both children safe on Atlantis but Penta had refused to go. After persuading Kazy that he would be safe with Ronon and telling her that it was his duty to help find Jen, she finally agreed to go alone.

The wormhole disengaged behind them and the rest of the group prepared to go and find their Doctor.


	8. Chapter 7

Just as the Marines were about to re-board the Jumpers, Penta grabbed hold of Ronon's sleeve and pulled.

"The slavers ship is coming. I can hear it".

"You sure" queried Sheppard, "I can't hear anything".

"Please, I know it is. We have to get away from here before they come and kill us". Penta started to panic.

"Sheppard, this could be good. We can find out from them if Keller is still alive" growled Ronon, before adding "Then I can kill them".

"Okay here's what we're going to do. Lorne, pick two of your best men. I want to bring the ship down, cripple but not destroy it. There's always a chance Keller might be on it. Everybody else, into the Jumpers. We'll cloak till they're down. We need the men that are on board, alive – at least until we find out the score. Is that understood?"

They all agreed – even Ronon who understood the value of intel. For once, things actually went according to plan. The ship made a crash landing and the two slavers staggered out to be confronted by the decloaking Jumpers and a bunch of very angry Marines.

The first slaver – the one who had wanted to kill Keller in the beginning – had no intention of being taken alive. He started firing immediately and was taken down before he managed to hit anybody. The other man fell to his knees, one hand raised and the other pressed to his stomach, trying to keep his insides in place. Sheppard and Ronon made their way to him slowly, wary of a trick.

"Please kill me now" he groaned, "do it quickly".

Ronon pulled the man's hand away and looked at the injury. A large piece of metal was lodged in his body and Ronon turned to Sheppard and shook his head. The man had no chance of survival.

"Tell us what we want to know and I'll give you a weapon to do it yourself. Did you kill the woman, the Doctor?"

"No, we took her to the camp to treat the brats there". He pointed at the dead slaver and continued, "He wanted to kill her straight off but I couldn't do it. She reminded me of someone. When we left she was still alive, I swear".

His voice had gotten gradually weaker with the effort of speaking and John placed a hand gun by his side and walked away. Ronon watched as the man picked it up and pulled the trigger. He then retrieved it and followed Sheppard, tossing it to him when they stopped.

"'Kay, he said Keller was alive when they left the camp. Lorne, did you check out their ship?2

"Yeah, got the co-ordinates, should take us no more than 20 minutes".

Penta, who had been sitting quietly on the floor by Ronon's seat spoke up. "The camp is in a clearing in the middle of a forest. You will have to land further away so they do not see you. If all the guards are there, I think there will be 8 or 9".

"We'll work out how to take them out when we get there. Let's move. Lorne, you're with us. Anders, you keep Jumper 3 cloaked by the Gate. I don't want any of these bastard's friends showing up to the party uninvited".

"Understood Sir" came the reply.

With that Jumpers 1 and 2 took off, cloaked and headed towards the slavers camp.

Meanwhile Jennifer was totally exhausted. She had checked as many of the children as she could with her limited resources but it probably wasn't even a quarter of them. She had managed to co-opt a couple of the older girls to help her, with the promise of a few lollipops. She was, at that moment, sat with her back against the wall of one of the huts, with her eyes closed but not asleep. Suddenly there was a commotion and she quickly stood. Two guards were in the compound seemingly picking kids out for task. When they grabbed at one young boy, he tripped and fell against one of the guards, knocking him off balance and onto his ass.

The other guard lashed out, catching the child in the head and sending him flying.

"Stop that now" yelled Jennifer, rushing over to the fallen boy. He wasn't moving, bleeding from a cut on the back of his head. "It was an accident. You didn't have to hit him like that".

The guard on the floor was furious. Getting up, he pulled the boy away from Jennifer, shaking him violently.

Jennifer saw red. She might not be a fighter but she had sneaked into the gym on more than one occasion to watch Ronon. Unfortunately in her anger, she forgot most of his moves and just flew at the guard, punching, kicking and biting. She didn't stand a chance against him, of course, and all too soon she was being held between the 2 men. She was a wreck – her T-shirt was ripped, her trousers covered in mud and she could already see the bruises forming on her bare arms. She knew, from the pain that she was feeling, that the rest of her body would soon be black and blue. Mentally, she checked herself for other injuries, but found that she just couldn't concentrate.

Suddenly a gunshot filled the air. The slaver boss strode into the compound, a vicious whip in his hand.

"What the fuck is going on" he bellowed.

No one spoke at first. Then a guard, who had been outside the wire, went over to him and murmured something too quietly for Jen to hear. She knew though, that the consequences for her actions were going to be severe.

"The boy gets 5 lashes. I'll deal with the woman later" he said, leering at her and leaving Jen in no doubt exactly what he meant. "Take him".

As the boy was dragged away, Jen summoned the last of her courage. Death she could face but rape was another matter entirely.

She cried out "No you can't. He's only a child. Please let him go, he didn't mean it. You can't punish him for an accident. Take me in his place".

"You are willing to take his punishment. Stupid bitch" he laughed in her face. "Very well. But if you scream you die, and I guarantee you'll scream because I'm going to carry on lashing you until you do. You're weak, useless – just like all women and no woman questions me and lives".

Jen shuddered uncontrollably as she was dragged to 2 posts and tied between them. Her ruined shirt was ripped from her, leaving her in just her work bra and the guard on her left roughly grabbed her breast and squeezed hard. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. And then it began. Each time the whip descended, she clenched her teeth and shut her eyes. She could feel the blood trickling down her back and the tears streaming down her face, but she kept silent.

On the other side of the forest, the 2 Atlantean craft had come in to land and Sheppard, guided by Penta, led his men towards the camp.

"Got to get the Doc fitted with one of McKay's subcutaneous transponders when this is over" he murmured to Ronon as they moved quickly and quietly to the edge of the forest.

From their position they had a grandstand view. McKay took one look and his face paled. He turned, bolted out of sight and promptly threw up. Several Marines looked as though they could be joining him.

"Sorry John...I just...how could they do that to her?" he whispered, on his return.

"Rodney STOP. Don't think about it, 'kay" said Sheppard, his expression cold and Rodney shivered, realising what was about to happen.

He keyed his radio, called out a list of names and ordered, "I want each one of you to pick your target carefully. Head shots only, no collateral damage. Not one of those bastards survives. Am I clear?"

A chorus of 'Yes Sir' was his answer. Penta, who was trying hard not to cry, whispered something to him and John nodded.

"Ronon, the guy with the whip is yours. Take your shots on my mark. McKay, you and Penta stay back out of the way till I say otherwise. This is not going to be pretty".

In the compound, the whip descended yet again, this time curling round Jennifer's left breast, the tip catching her painful nipple and she could hold back no longer.

She screamed.


	9. Chapter 8

As Jennifer's head hung down, the slaver could not resist gloating. He stalked up to her, yanked back her head and hissed, "Told you, you'd scream. Now die".

The moment's delay in killing her gave the Marine's their opening. Almost as one, 7 shots rang out and the guards dropped to the ground, dead. A second later, as he was looking around him in disbelief, the distinctive sound of Ronon's gun was heard. One second after that, the slaver boss fell to the ground at Jennifer's feet.

Jennifer slumped forward, only remaining on her feet due to the ropes binding her to the posts. All around her, children screamed and ran for the relative safety of the huts. But all she heard, over and over again, was the beautiful sound of Ronon's gun. He'd found her. Finally she could let go and someone else could do the caring for a while.

John and Ronon led the way into the compound blasting open the gates and headed straight for Jen.

"Check all of them are dead, then get their bodies into the hut out there" Sheppard shouted. "McKay, Penta, get in here at the double".

Ronon stood in front of Jen, one hand holding her head, the other her lower back carefully avoiding her wounds. As John cut the ropes, she collapsed on to him and he gently sank down to the ground with her, stroking her hair as she cried.

"You came" she sobbed, so quietly he had to strain to hear her. "I prayed you'd find me in time".

"Shush, you're safe now. Let us take care of you" he murmured.

As Jen gradually composed herself, Sheppard took complete control of the situation, issuing instructions along the way.

"Penta, your job is to try and organise these kids. I need them to calm down. Make sure they know we're the good guys. Lorne, contact Anders at the Gate and tell him to get in touch with Carter. We're going to need medics and nurses – as many as possible better be female, less intimidating for them – and all the Jumpers. I want to get all the kids to Atlantis for treatment, we'll work out what happens after that, later on".

"On it, Sir".

"Thomas, take 3 men. Check the perimeter, make sure we didn't miss any of them. The rest of you, once Penta's done his bit, see if you can help the kids while we wait. Raid the Jumpers for supplies and food. See if there is food over in the guard's hut and set up a field kitchen. It won't be much but it's a start. McKay, you're with me".

The 2 men walked over to where Ronon was still on the ground cradling Jennifer, talking quietly to her.

McKay looked worried. "I don't know if I can face her. I mean what do I say, without it sounding wrong".

"Don't ask me, Rodney" said Sheppard slowly. "I think this is definitely a case of playing it by ear. I'm not sure any of us are going to be okay around her for awhile. Let's just see what happens".

They sat down beside her and waited to let her get comfortable with their presence. When she spoke, her voice was stronger, though she winced constantly from the pain that she was obviously feeling. Her face was streaked with dried tears and her back still oozed blood, though not as fast as before.

"Colonel, Rodney. God, am I glad to see all of you. Did you find Peterson and the children? Is he okay? I'm sorry I screwed up. I should have taken a weapon, tried to kill the slavers when they came back. Promised Penta and Kazy we'd look after them, told these kids we'd try to get them home, should have kept my mouth shut, should have..." she babbled.

Then she just ran out of energy and her voice fell silent.

"For God's sake, take it easy Doc. First things first. What can we do for you..." began Sheppard.

"No" she whispered, "me last. As soon as you start trying to help me, I'm going to start screaming again. Don't want that yet. I'm just not brave enough for this – low pain threshold, you know. Tell me what I need to know, please."

"Okay. When we arrived Peterson was alive but had not regained consciousness. Penta and Kazy were just plain scared – Kazy, we persuaded to go to Atlantis. Penta's here, talking to these kids. We wouldn't have found you as easily without his help. I've sent for as many Jumpers and medics as possible. I thought female staff would be best for the kids – I'm betting that they're going to be wary of strange men for a long time to come. We'll take them back with us and those that we can get back to their families, we will. The others, well we'll deal with that when the time comes".

"Will Sam be alright with this, do you think", interrupted Rodney.

"If not, I can probably guilt trip her into it. After all, this mission was her idea". Jen gave a weak giggle.

Sheppard and Rodney couldn't help it, they both burst out laughing. It was a strange sound considering the circumstances. Ronon's expression never changed, his eyes never left her face and his hand continued to stroke her matted hair. He was totally focused on her, and as Jen looked at him, really looked, she started to blush as she always seemed to in his company.

Deciding that they were neither needed or wanted at that moment, the two men went over to check on Penta's progress with the children, even though Rodney kept moaning that he really, really didn't like children, well apart from Madison that is.

Jennifer was starting to get nervous, Ronon's look was so intense.

"What?"

Ronon didn't reply, just kept looking as though he could see into her soul. His fingers moved gently over her face, finally brushing across her lips before returning to her hair. It took all of Jen's willpower to keep her tongue from peeking out to lick his fingertips.

"What?" she repeated. "Please Ronon you're starting to freak me out here".

"Why did you say you weren't brave?"

"Sorry. I don't understand".

Ronon sighed and spoke quietly. "You said you weren't brave enough for this. Why would you say that? You were brave to go through the Gate in the first place, brave when the slavers attacked, brave when you distracted them from Peterson and the children, and brave to take someone else's punishment. How much braver do you think you need to be?"

Jen blushed even more from the unexpected words, thinking to herself that she still wasn't brave enough to tell Ronon about her feelings.

Sheppard ambled back over to them saying "Okay everything's set. Penta's got the kids here sorted out, transport is on its way and quarters on Atlantis are being prepared as we speak. So now it's just you to take care of, Doc".

"I used up all my painkillers on the children, so I can only see one option. Ronon, your gun has a stun setting, doesn't it? I want you to stun me and wrap me in a clean foil blanket, if you've got one, for the journey back home. It'll make things simpler all round if I'm out of it".

"You've got to be kidding me, Doc" exclaimed Sheppard.

Jennifer didn't say anything, just stared at Ronon, silently begging him to do as she asked. He looked deep into her eyes, then removed the gun from its holster and changed the setting back to its usual stun. Handing it to Sheppard he pulled her tightly to his chest and whispered in her ear "See, you're still being brave". He nodded to his team leader and within minutes he had transferred her to Jumper 2, along with Penta, who was missing his little sister. Unable to let her go for even a second, he sat on the floor of the Jumper's rear compartment, thinking hard.

She'd called Atlantis 'home', maybe they could find a home there together.

Leaning back against the bench seat, he closed his eyes and contemplated his future – with her.

The End


End file.
